Indigent burial and cremation services

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Social Services, is seeking to establish a pool of experienced vendors to provide indigent burial and cremation services across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. The procurement is a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional services related to burial and cremation of indigent and unclaimed persons, with vendors required to provide comprehensive services including body pickup, transportation, embalming, grave opening and closing, casket and vault provision, grave marker installation, cemetery transportation, and cremation services. Vendors can bid on services in one, two, or all three counties, with proposals evaluated based on personnel qualifications (30 points), project familiarity and performance (30 points), safety record (10 points), business references (10 points), and cost projections (20 points). A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for February 6, 2026, at 1:00 PM EDT via Microsoft Teams, with questions due by January 23, 2026, at 4:30 PM EDT through the Euna Procurement portal. The proposal submission deadline is March 13, 2026, at 1:00 PM EDT, with an estimated award notification date of May 31, 2026.

The RFP encourages participation from diverse business enterprises, including Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Veteran Owned Business Enterprise (VOBE), and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise (SDVOBE). Vendors must carry specific insurance coverage, including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate, Automotive Liability Insurance, and either Medical/Professional Liability or Errors and Omissions coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate. The initial contract term is two years, with potential three one-year renewal extensions through September 30, 2028. Pricing will be structured on a per-case basis, with all quoted prices required to remain fixed and binding throughout the contract period. Vendors must comply with federal and state laws, maintain Delaware business licensure, and ensure no non-public State data is stored or transferred outside the United States. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, vendors will submit individual cost proposals for different service types including indigent burial, cremation, and infant-specific services.